Plastic nonhardening explosive composition and method of forming same



Patented Aug. 5, 1952 POSITION, AND

METHOD F FORMING George BQKistiakowskyand DuncanP. Mac Dpugall, Pittsburgh, Pa., Eugene H. Eyster,

Madison, Wis.,

and ClarenceA. Weltman,

Niagara Falls; N. Y., assignors-to the United statsof America as represented by the Secretary of War No Drawing. Application July 16, 1943, SerialNo. 495,086

Claims.

The present invention relates to. an explosive known as cyclonite and more. particularly to a new and improved plastic explosivecomposition containing the same.

Cyclonite is an explosive of great power and brisance obtainable by the direct nitration (nitrolysis) I of 'hexamethylene-tetramine (hexamine) with concentrated nitric acid, and also by other methods. I-Ieretofore this explosive has been prepared in the form of an insensitive plas tic composition by incorporating approximately 88 parts of 'cyclonite'with 12 parts of an oil prepared from a high boiling petroleum fraction in which crepe rubber had been dissolved. The explosive prepared in the foregoing manner possesses certain highly desirable properties particularly as regards its safety, plasticity, and explosive power. However the composition hardens on exposure to air or sunlight, becomes coated with a hard, friable crust, and eventually loses substantially all of its desirable plastic properties.

The object of the present invention istoprcvide a new and improved plastic-explosive con taining cyclonite, which obviates the foregoing disadvantages. V v i Another object is to provide; a new method of preparing a plastic explosive of the character described.

Still another object is theprovision of a cyclonite plasticizer which is stable over long periods of time.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

We have found that the foregoing objectives may be attained by utilizing certain polymerized highly-bodied, naturally occurringoils asplasticizing agents for cyclonite. The incorporation of a relatively small amount of these bodied oils with cyclonite produces a plastic explosive composition having the plasticity and power of the prior art composition, without its undesirable aging properties.

The highly-bodied, naturally occurring oils contemplated by the present invention may be of animal, vegetable or mineral origin. After these oils have been suitably bodied, they possess the characteristic property of forming a plastic composition with cyclonite whereas the original oils merely produce a crumbly mass. By Way; of example of thetype of oils which (when suitably polymerized or bodied) constitute our'improved plasticizers, the following may be mentioned: Vegetable oils such as rape seed oil, linseed oil,

cotton seed oil, soya. oil, castor oil and the like;

animal oils (waxes) such as sperm, oil and the like; mineral oils such as heavypetroleun'i hydrocarbon fractions, e, g., petrolatum.

The foregoing oils may be bodied (e. g., polymerized) in a varietyof ways, wellknown-in the prior art, 7 Thus for example, the vegetable oils such as rape seed oil and linseed oil are bodied by thermal treatmentof various types. The animal oils and the mineral oils may be bodied by voltolization. Indeed, tthe voltolized oils constitute, the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, voltolizedsperm, rape seedand petrolatum oils being particularly attractive because of their high viscosity, In thefollowing description, the voltolized oils will be selected to illustrate the principles of the invention, it being understood, howeventhat this is done solely for purposes of illustration and is not to be construed as a limitation upon the spiritandscope of the appended claims.

The amount of voltolized oil required, varies over wide limits, depending partly on the degree of plasticity, tackiness thermal stability and extensibility desired in the finished product. Large amounts of the plasticizerareof course undesirable because of the effect of the inert oil on the explosive strength of the material. Accordingly, We prefer to use less than 20% of the voltolized oil, and usually from 5 to 15% voltolized oil will be found satisfactory.

The plasticizers of the-present invention may be incorporated with the cyclonitein any convenient manner, for example, by mixing the oil with the dry cyclonite, or by adding-the, oil to an agitated slurry of cyclonite in hot water. The two types of procedure are described in the following illustrative examples.

Eatample I .Dry procedure The highly viscous, polymerized oil (e. g., voltolized sperm oil) is heated to increase its fluidity and then poured on drycyclonite to obtain a composition consisting of approximately 12% oil and 88% cyclonite. This amount of oil will cover the cyclonite. The oil and cyclonite are then stirred and later milled between differential roll mills (8 to 12 passes). The resulting plastic composition has excellent extensibility, plasticity and is stable over long periods of time.

, Example II.Wet procedure Hot voltolized petrolatum is poured into an agitated slurry of one part of cyclonite in five parts of hot water, the oil being used in the proportions of 12 parts of oil to 88 parts of cyclonite.

properties of the plastic composition of the pres.-.

ent invention. Finely divided cyclonite is usually desirable and in certain instances, it may be important to regulate the grist in order to obtain consistently satisfactory results. It may also be desirable in certain instances (for example, when using bodied drying" oils such as linseed oil or bodied glycerides which have a tendency to rancidity) to use suitable stabilizers to prevent further polymerization, drying, or the development of rancidity.

Although in the foregoing description the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent that many variations may be made without departing from the basic inventive concept. Thus the present invention may be used with cyclonite from any source in addition to that obtained by direct nitrolysis; for example that prepared bythe method of Schiessler and Ross Patent No. 2,434,230, issued January 6, 1948, as Well as that obtained by the Bachmann process (application Serial No. 495,080, filed on even date herewith). Other applications and modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. We therefore intend to be limited only in-accordanoe with the following patent claims.

We claim:

1. A non-hardening plastic explosive composition comprising cyclonite and a highly bodied polymerized oil. r

2. A non-hardening plastic explosive substantially comprising'cyclonite and a voltolized oil.

3. A non-hardening plastic explosive comprising from about 80% to about 95% cyclonite and from about 5% to about voltolized oil.

4. A non-hardening plastic explosive comprising about 88% cyclonite and about 12 voltolized rape seed oil. I

5. A non-hardening plastic explosive comprising about 88% cyclonite and about 12% volto- .lized sperm oil.

6. A non-hardening plastic explosive comprising about 88% cyclonite and about 12% voltolized petrolatum.

7. A method of producing a non-hardening plastic explosive which comprises incorporating cyclonite with a highly bodied polymerized oil.

8. A method of producing a non-hardening plastic explosive which comprises incorporating about to about parts of cyclonite with about 5 to about 20 parts of voltolized oil.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said 011 comprises voltolized sperm oil.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said oil comprises voltolized rape seed oil.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said oil comprises "voltolized petrolatum.

'12. Anon-hardening plastic composition consisting essentially of from about 80% to about j 95% cycloniteand from about 5% to about 20% of a voltolized member of the group consisting of rape seed oil, sperm oil and .petrolatum.

13. A non-hardening plastic composition comprising from about 80% to about 95% cyclonite and from about 5% to about 20% of an artifically bodied oil.

14. The method of forming a non-hardening plastic composition from cyclonite which comprises intimately mixing with cyclonite a substantial proportion of an artificially bodied oil.

15. The method of forming a non-hardening plastic explosive composition which consists of intimately, mixing with cyclonite a substantial proportion of a voltolized member of the group consisting of rape seed oil, sperm oil and petrolatum.

GEORGE B. KISTIAKOWSKY. DUNCAN P. MACDOUGALL.

EUGENE H. EYSTER. CLARENCE A. WELTMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Nitrocellulose? vol. 11, pp. 63-67 (1940), ab-

stracted in Chem. Abs., vol. 35, p. 49536, 1941 (Stettbacher). 

1. A NON-HARDENING PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE COMPOSITION COMPRISING CYCLONITE AND A HIGHLY BODIED POLYMERIZED OIL.
 7. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A NON-HARDENING PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE WHICH COMPRISES INCORPORATING CYCLONITE WITH A HIGHLY BODIED POLYMERIZED OIL, 